


All I Wanted Was You

by NightsLikeThis



Category: WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, F/F, Kayfabe mostly?, Unrequited Love, WWE NXT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-01-30 08:10:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21425002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightsLikeThis/pseuds/NightsLikeThis
Summary: A look into the four horsewomen and their feelings for each other through out their time with NXT
Relationships: Sasha Banks/Bayley | Davina Rose, Sasha Banks/Bayley | Davina Rose/Charlotte/Becky Lynch | Rebecca Knox, Sasha Banks/Charlotte
Comments: 44
Kudos: 49





	1. Sasha and Charlotte

Bittersweet

February 11, 2015

Nxt TakeOver Rival

Fight or flight kicks in. In the moments where destiny comes knocking. Sasha knows flight well, knows how to pretend that everything is alright when it feels like implosion is inevitable. But the last few years have taught her the opposite: fighting, fighting for her dreams.

And it wasn’t long ago that Sasha and Charlotte had been fighting for the same cause, for the same goal: to be the best. But ever since Charlotte told her she wanted to go it alone, its become abundantly clear that there’s only one spot at the top, only enough room for the Boss or the Queen.

Back when they’d been training together, before the cameras and the attention it was different. Sasha was the best, undisputed, and Charlotte just wanted to be as good, was happy to chase her tail. And they’d been friends then, someone to rely on, train with, but this industry wasn’t built for making friends.

And Sasha sort of thinks it’s karma, playing this ploy of a story at her that she finds herself in such a predicament: a fatal four-way for the NXT Divas’s championship against _ these three _.

Becky her _ friend with benefits _(the benefits being someone to watch her back in the ring, take the harder bumps, and nothing else.)

Bayley. The poor thing. Somewhere deep inside her cold heart Sasha had pity for her. Naive. Dreaming too hard for things Sasha would take away from her.

And Charlotte, her ex-friend, her top rival, the only person she could spend more than 5 minutes with without getting annoyed, the person she’d spent way too much time thinking about, lost way too much sleep over. But she’d never admit that, never admit that her thoughts about getting the upper hand in the ring often wandered to blonde hair and pink lips, that Charlotte’s submissions and pins had made her think about Charlotte on top of her in other ways.

But now wasn’t the time to dive into such desires, especially in the middle of a title match. 

Sending Charlotte into the post shoulder first is a last ditch effort, a call for revenge coming out in the form of violence, because if she can’t love her perhaps the next best thing is breaking one of her ribs with Becky’s face.

And Charlotte kicking out sends her into a spiral of doubt prompting a scream of denial. What comes next is a blur: Bayley taking advantage of her emotions pushing her to roll out of the ring.

Jumping through the ropes to take down Bayley and Becky happens without thought, the risk of death somehow irrelevant, but then Charlotte just has to do one better and takes them all out a moment later. The moment of triumph morphs into jealousy, physical and emotional pain. What hurts even more is that Charlotte _ picks _Becky, pulls Becky from the ground to win her championship, not Sasha.

And Bayley tries to take it to, but Sasha can’t have that, takes the pin on Charlotte as her own. But of course, the Queen kicks out. The warmth of Charlotte under her is calming against the shear disappointment in herself, at her failure, at the fact that the match will continue. 

The comfort that comes in skin to skin contact is infuriating. Infuriating enough to call off any unconscious mode of going easy on her _ crush, _easy on the champ. The bank statement is put into action, the press of Charlotte underneath her is a warmth she has to push away from, focusing on the grip around her face and the force of her arms.

The desperation of it is too much to bare, the push and pull, bodily contact, the sweat. Sasha needs this to be over. She flips them over going for the cover. It happens too fast, the three count feels sped up and out of place and she can’t believe it.

Sasha can’t believe she really did it. She’s champion. 

“_ I told all of you” _comes out in a desperate demand covered by the sound of her theme music, a release of finally feeling the moment for what it is, the rage in knowing her potential, but nobody else believing it. 

And Charlotte is sitting there against the ropes, it settles in exactly what she’s lost, exactly who she’s up against if she wants to get it back. And Sasha wants to kick her in the face, make her understand what she’s put her through.

But she doesn’t. Charlotte’s eyes tell a story of respect, of understanding, of pride. And Sasha wants to memorize this moment.

But the music stops, and Charlotte is standing, not acting like an enemy. She puts out her hand for Sasha to shake. A standstill, the ball in Sasha’s court. 

There’s hesitation, deep contemplation in showing Charlotte anything, but volatile success. But the look in Charlotte’s bright blue eyes forces Sasha to step forward.

But when she takes too long to make a decision, Charlotte is making it for her. She moves her previously offered hand to the side of Sasha’s face, pulling her into her chest by the back of the neck. Its calm and tender and Sasha rests her face against Charlotte’s collarbone, just long enough to really feel it.

But the burst of the crowd, the love of the embrace makes her instantly regret ever letting it happen, pushing Charlotte away and pretending like it never happened.

But that would be too easy, for the memory of Charlotte’s breath on her to wash away so quickly, for the feel of her fingertips on her in an uncommon act of love to not be etched into her forever.

Charlotte remains proud, but wounded, and Sasha can’t help, but smile at the tears that threaten to fall from both of their eyes.

\----

July 8, 2015

NXT

Finding a tag team partner against Dana Brooke and Emma isn’t a task Sasha is up for, but taking them both on herself seems like the easy way out. 

Charlotte has other plans. Plans that include offering her services in Sasha’s aid.

“You owe me one” Charlotte says when she offers to be Sasha’s partner, the words evoking goosebumps as Sasha accepts.

It’s not a grueling match. Charlotte doesn’t have to touch Sasha other than to tag in and out of the match and its not enough contact for the butterflies to bounce around in her stomach. 

But they win when Emma and Dana tap simultaneously, but Charlotte is looking at her like she means more than a belt, more than this company. So Sasha is the one offering a handshake this time, hoping that this respect does not spell disaster for the feelings she can’t seem to shake away.


	2. Becky and Sasha

WWE NXT

May 6, 2015

Becky was happy for the opportunity, to be put in a position to take the title from Sasha, even if Sasha would probably retain. There was something in the way that it was all presented to her, like a now or never. 

Because she’d been doing this since she was 15, pushing until she couldn’t anymore, finding paths that weren’t meant for her, but never in vain, because they still brought her here, to a place where that belt was just out of her reach.

So she signs the contract for a title match against Sasha Banks for the NXT women’s championship. 

She can’t really blame Sasha for throwing the contract in her face, or the anger that comes from Sasha more often than not, because Becky can relate, can feel some of that anger too, that only now women are finally getting some of the same attention as the men, that it still feels cut throat, only one woman at the top for every 10 men, so she let’s Sasha throw her over the table, let’s her make a show of it, because Sasha was once her friend, her teammate. A love loss in the way Becky always knew Sasha loved the attention, more than she ever did her. 

And it’s not like Becky is in love, at least she convinces herself so when she pulls Sasha down with her and puts her into an arm bar just hard enough to make Sasha scream.

\---

WWE NXT

January 14, 2015

5 months earlier

Tagging with Sasha was always exhilarating for Becky, something about the way Sasha pushed until she had nothing left to give. 

Sasha had claimed time and time again that they weren’t friends, but Becky couldn’t forget last night.

Not the stolen kisses outside of Sasha’s apartment, or the way Sasha didn’t push her away as quickly as she could have. The warmth lingered on her lips even until now as they face Charlotte and Natalia in a tag team match.

They hadn’t spoken about it. Sasha had pushed her back, with enough respect to not look disgusted by Becky’s advances, but not enough to say it was okay or kiss her again.

But Becky had felt the way her body reacted, had stolen the breath off of Sasha’s lips for even just a second, and nothing Sasha said or did could take that away from her. 

But Sasha was letting her get beat, was letting Charlotte and Natalia double team her without butting in, without trying to help: perhaps a punishment for kissing the Boss without it being her own idea.

But Becky makes a tag to bring Sasha back into the match, a ploy of fresh skin and new blood to beat to a pulp. 

There’s a rush of taking back the momentum, where watching Sasha turns into a movie that Becky is a part of. A rush in finding their prime amongst common enemies. 

Even though Sasha hadn’t moved to break any of Becky’s pins, Becky couldn’t help herself as Sasha lay helpless under Charlotte’s strength: Becky knew the consequences of the kiss would only be worse when coupled with the consequences of a loss.

Sasha pins Charlotte and Becky is awed in the execution of it, barely standing to see the 3 count take place, only knowing that things would be okay.

Becky can’t help but smile, and reach for Sasha’s hand to pull her closer, to celebrate along her side, to feel the rush of victory together.

And Becky can’t be mad that Sasha wouldn’t let her kiss her, not when she was letting her win beside her.

\---

WWE NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable

May 20, 2015

Becky can’t listen to the hype: she let’s it get into her head.

All the talk of this being her once in a lifetime opportunity, that she’ll never have a bigger match, a bigger moment. And she can feel something, new energy in every step, a new attitude.

No more waiting for Sasha to wake up and love her back, no more waiting for the world to give her what she wants. Her dreams were clear and she was taking this opportunity as her own, treating it like this was it, just as everyone hyped it up to be.

But there’s a look in Sasha’s eyes, like there’s still room for growth, like Becky means more to her than a throw away match. Because Sasha is treating her as a deserving opponent, stepping to her in an effort to show what she has to gain, and not who she could lose.

Because Sasha is already too far gone, too far in this business to think about entertaining alliances or romantic relationships.

There are several quick pinfalls, Sasha doesn’t want too much time wasted on Becky seeing the fire in her eyes, thinking there’s anything there, Becky wants Sasha to understand this isn’t about love, this is about that belt.

There’s pain in Sasha’s eyes, but it doesn’t seem to be from the physical pushes Becky’s put on her body, it’s the relentless speed that Becky doesn’t deter from.

Because Sasha knows better than anyone how much Becky loves to win, how much she wants this, but Sasha can’t help but think Becky would let her emotions get the best of her.

So Sasha tries to cut off any ties that could be left, because the bubble of feeling that pushes up when she thinks about that kiss all those months ago, is something of weakness. Making friends, or whatever they are, isn’t going to help either of them, and Sasha isn’t afraid to make the tough decisions. So she mocks Becky, disrespects the ground Becky humbles herself to, in an effort to make herself a villain, to make it easy for Becky to forget the love she once had blooming out of her for Sasha.

Sasha pulls several submissions just to drive the point home.

_ I don’t love you _

Staying way to long in holds that do more to add unnecessary pain than bring Sasha closer to a victory.

And Becky can feel it; her strength waning with her desires to keep trying for something with Sasha. It hurts her heart more than her arm as Sasha twists and turns it almost enough for it to break.

And the realization that whatever that had is officially over gives Becky the strength to lift Sasha off the mat and toss over her head, any unconscious thoughts of holding back or going easy are thrown out the window.

Because Becky pushes the gas pedal to the floor, pushing passed the pain in her arm enough to gain the upper hand several times over.

But it’s not enough as Sasha still kicks out, takes the reigns again.

Taking Becky by the jaw, screaming in her face, slapping her: this is where the Sasha Banks mode of operation is no longer according to plan, this is where things become less calculated.

Because Becky kicking out again was not in Sasha’s plans, and she hadn’t really thought passed it, so she suddenly found herself looking for a last resort and against her better judgement (and everyone’s assumptions) Sasha is the one letting the emotion get to her head.

Because

_ Becky didn’t need to kiss her _

_ Didn’t need to ruin it _

_ The butterflies could’ve remained  _

_ Without acting on them _

_ But Becky had to fuck it all up _

And now Sasha had to do this, had to remind her exactly why they couldn’t.

But Becky can’t let that happen, takes Sasha’s sudden emotions and shoves them back, wondering where they had been in the last months of Becky wondering hopelessly if anything would give, if Sasha would let her in just a little closer.

So, Becky pulls her into another arm bar, a testament to the damage Becky isn’t afraid to cause Sasha, but once more Sasha knows that Becky winning means her point wasn’t truly made, that Becky might come running back after a win.

Becky’s hand finds the mat in a quick tap as Sasha holds her in the bank statement for just a moment too long, enough pressure on her neck to remind why this golden opportunity might be her last, but not enough to stop her hand from tapping, from trying to make it stop.

Hearing Sasha’s name spoken next to the championship is nothing new, but it feels like a fresh burn against Becky’s skin.

As much as Sasha tried to beat it out of her, the affinity remains true, Becky loves Sasha even in the turmoil, even in her stubborn effort to push everyone away in favor of a title. So Becky cries alone in the ring, curled into herself, waiting for a moment to settle upon her where she doesn’t feel abandoned. And for once she regrets her need to fight for the top, resents the part of her that wasn’t content playing as number 2 in the Boss’ little game.

But she can feel the roar of the crowd as it vibrates through the ring, as it reaches the throbbing in her brain. 

It’s enough to put her on her feet.

  
It’s enough to teach her that  _ this  _ isn’t over.


	3. Charlotte and Bayley

NXT

July 22, 2015

  
  


Charlotte tries to hold it together for the sake of everyone watching at home, and in Full Sail, and for herself, but talking about the evolution that they’ve caused strikes her somewhere deeper than the fear that comes in a microphone being thrust in her face. 

She’s being interviewed on NXT about Bayley’s challenge, the one she’d set force after Charlotte’s appearance on Raw alongside Becky and Sasha, can understand that Bayley feels left out of the push she’d been just as much a part of.

“And if Bayley wants a chance to face me, there’s no one more deserving” Charlotte says misty eyed, meaning the words with everything she can push out without actually crying.

Something about the weight it holds, Bayley’s name on her lips in a world where both of their dreams are steadily coming true. 

Dana comes in to talk down to her, about the opportunities that only  _ Charlotte Flair  _ is privy to. But the words don’t reach her ears as steadily, something in the air of knowing when to pick her battles, too focused on the future.

\---

NXT

Nov 13, 2013

Charlotte had known well that friendships were hard to come by, especially in the business of beating people up. Her father had made that abundantly clear. But she’d taken Bayley under her wing against her better judgement. 

Bayley’s admiration for Charlotte was often spoken of: that Bayley was happy to simply be in the presence of greatness, but seldom did one hear about Charlotte’s returned sentiment. Charlotte saw all the things no one else did: that Bayley was in this for all the right reasons, not to prove a point, or out of spite, not to fill the shoes of her father or brother, but truly because she loved it. 

And although wanting to be the greatest started as Charlotte’s main motivator, Bayley’s deep love for wrestling had somehow lept into Charlotte’s heart as well. Because no one else understood that this “Naive child” was born for this, would do anything to achieve her dreams, and Charlotte couldn’t judge that. 

So she took Bayley as an ally, if only to try and save her from getting taken advantage of, if only to keep enemies away from Bayley’s fragile heart. And somewhere along the way friendship had become more, in small spaces of Charlotte’s head where new air seeped in that spoke of holding the flashy wrestler. 

Nothing ever happened and maybe that’s what brought them here. 

Because Charlotte had always been too respectful to make a move, well, a move that was anything more than letting Bayley fall asleep on her shoulder after a grueling match, or holding Bayley’s hand waiting to see if they’d made tonight’s card. 

A hopeless crush, that Charlotte felt stupid for having in the first place. So drawing the line was truly her only option.

Charlotte and Bayley entered the ring as they usually would, waiting for Sasha and Summer Rae to make their entrance to begin their match. Charlotte does her best to show no signs of straying away from what’s expected, but it’s hard to reel in the parts of her that feel her dissent from morality. Especially when Bayley pulls shit like this.

Gifting Sasha and Summer bow-headbands.

Charlotte knows Bayley means well, just wants everyone to be friends and get along, but this is not the place or time to be playing nice. But Charlotte has to remind herself that being nice isn’t an act for Bayley, it runs through her blood like sugary cereal. 

Bayley doesn’t listen to Charlotte’s pleas, as she tries to drag her into their corner and away from their opponents, a last ditch effort in keeping her from giving them the headbands, but Bayley is too good to go back on her desire to make amends. 

The look on Sasha’s face pushes new rage into Charlotte’s brain, but she knows the disgust in Sasha’s eyes matches the contempt that bubbles in her lungs everytime Bayley puts herself in one of these situations, the hatred that comes when Bayley remains aloof to her advances, the pain that comes when she reminds herself that Bayley is too good for her, and not enough all at once.

Watching Bayley get beaten down is just as good as saying “I told you so”, like  _ I told you not to give them those stupid headbands, I told you not to see the best in everyone, I told you to grow a backbone.  _

But what’s one better? Slapping Bayley in the face herself. 

It feels rather cathartic, fulfilling an idea she’d had so many times before, something staunchly alternative to the dreams she can’t control, the ones where Bayley is becoming just aware enough to want to kiss her too. 

But it has to be this way, Bayley and Charlotte on opposite sides of good and evil, or Charlotte will lose herself to the light.

\---

NXT

August 5, 2015

The thing about decisions is they never really feel concrete, not to Charlotte, not with Bayley. Because perspective is a curse, stuck in a back and forth of wondering “what if”.

_ What if I stayed by her side, what if she let me. _

But it’s too late to go back on. Charlotte wishes it was too late to wonder.

It hurts watching Bayley become hardened without her, watching competitor after competitor disrespect her, take advantage. But it only serves as proof that Bayley never needed her protection, never needed her love. 

There’s still the hopeful woman that Charlotte betrayed behind brown eyes, but two years has done enough teaching for both of them. 

For one, Bayley doesn’t offer Charlotte the gift of a headband before their match.

But it’s all too clear now that the anger inside Charlotte was more than necessary rage. It was  _ jealousy, envy, desire.  _ She’d wanted all the things Bayley had: to dream without fear, to be able

to search for silver linings without growing tired, to wrestle for just the sake of it, never needing an ulterior motive. 

The only thing she could do now was let her respect for Bayley ooze out of her, give her a match that she deserved. It was far too late for an apology. 

Charlotte wanted to shake her hand before the bell rang to start their match, wanting to look into Bayley’s eyes, let her know what this was: a place where scores weren’t to be settled, but where they’d wrestle for their love of it, a fair fight on the grounds of finding a victor.

Charlotte didn’t plan on playing dirty, she wanted Bayley to know that.

But Bayley had grown in the last two years, Charlotte had watched it first hand, had seen the gears turn faster behind her eyes, the rhythm of movement turn steady, the way her heart had sank back into her chest, harder to claw at, harder to see.

But she’d sort of expected old Bayley, the version of her that ate ice cream with her on cheat days, and watched back matches until they couldn’t keep their eyes open. So Bayley getting the upper hand is a surprise, but Charlotte reins it in, pushes deeper for the parts of her that can hate everything good.

Pushes forward in the wake of Bayley’s relentless need to keep trying, punishes Bayley for not staying down, for not seeing the love in her eyes, for not loving her back. 

And Bayley wins. Of course she does. Because as much as Bayley sees the best in people, she never lets it get her way, never let’s the emotion cloud her judgement, compromise a match; but she also sees the best in herself. A feat Charlotte has never been good at.

Because all her life she’d been told of the legend of Ric Flair, the shadow she’d live in forever, the champion she was born as, but looking in the mirror never told her so, her reflection never told her of future victories or definite halls of fame. 

But Bayley knew of her worth, knew that fighting for what you want is all that matters, second only to believing in yourself, a close rival to respecting others. 

Perhaps the only thing that Charlotte wanted more than a piece of that innate self-love was for Bayley to forgive her, for Bayley to love her back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kinda hate this chapter,,,,idk fam....i just thought of this like 2 minutes before i started writing it...but we been knew i dont thinknthings through so
> 
> I have some one shot ideas but idk how quickly those will come to see the light of day so(but keep ya eyes open for em)...ill probably update this again sooner rather than later
> 
> i also have another chaptered fic in the works but its definitely gonna require some concrete pre planning which as we just discussed is not my strong suit so that probably wont start for a while...(Im just rambling sorrrrry)
> 
> The soulmate fic...i love yall...and all the love you show that story but idk when imma be updating it, i rather take a step back and really think about how to continue it than rush out a new chapter that i havent taken any time with, i wanna do right by u guys and i hope yall can respect that i want to take care of it
> 
> Im kinda going through IT these last few weeks so ur patience means the world <3


	4. Becky and Bayley and Charlotte

April 22, 2015

Nxt

The thing about number one contender matches was they always felt make or break it to Becky. Like the chance to be champion was just out of her reach, that one more push forward meant success, a title match, something no one could take away from her. 

Living in the shadows was the general mode of operation, especially among a blond goddess, a small woman with a mean streak, and a kid with charisma that she could never match.

Even now as the crowd chanted “Bayley”, she couldn’t help but be surprised, because being the underdog is something she always forgets. 

Becky needs to win this for a lot of reasons. First, to finally prove that she’s just as good if not better than the others, that she doesn’t deserve to be an afterthought, the ally, the wingman. She stands alone facing two of the greatest women the wwe universe has ever seen, she just has to keep telling herself that she belongs in the same tier. Second, this match is just another step in getting back at Sasha, getting her to look at her for more than a second. Even if that means taking her championship.

There may still be budding feelings, a sense of strain everytime she hears Sasha’s name, but there has to be something she can do about it.

Even as the match starts and Bayley and Charlotte’s first ploy is to double team her, she tries to refrain from getting too emotional, letting them know how much it hurts to not be taken seriously. Still, she can’t help but admire the respect of it, that they have always given her the respect to meet her where she is, bring her a challenge worthy of fighting.

The rivalries they’ve held, the words of hatred: there was never a time where the ring held those same testaments of disrespect, always giving everything, risking it all for the sake of wrestling.

So Becky must do the same. Give them everything she has. 

Its the least she can do for Bayley.

\---

November 27, 2014

Bayley was innocent. She reminded Becky of herself when she’s first started: that same drive, that same pride in just being in a ring.

But her neck injury had stripped away that innocence, make her never want to wrestle again for a while. Made her think that giving up was the better option.

So seeing Bayley now, somehow always trying, always in her glory, always being nice, was just a sick reminder of how cruel the world was. Sasha had convinced Becky that should be the ones to show Bayley just how dark things could be.

So they called her names. Pushed her around. 

Consequences came in the form of Charlotte Flair.

A name Becky couldn’t help, but be star struck by. A face that made her knees go weak. It was right that Charlotte was sweet enough then to Bayley’s friend, all the more reason the two deserved to be punished.

But this particular night, Bayley came alone with something to prove.

And Becky needed with all of her own darkness, to wipe clean all the light from Bayley’s eyes.

She’d laughed in the face of her pain. 

Jealous of the way Bayley could still be happy.

\---

Back to

April 22, 2015

She owed it to her to give her a fair fight, give her the energy and strength she deserved.

Because back then, she hadn’t realized it was jealousy, hadn’t realized the disguised admiration, the love she had for how carefree the hugger always was. But Becky had decided her own fate, had to take punches from Bayley, couldn’t ask for hugs. 

But of course, just as Becky almost takes her spot as second best, Charlotte performs Natural Selection to break the hold she has on Bayley. 

\---

July 31, 2014

Becky vs. Charlotte wasn’t a marquee match. Just a spot to fill on the card, for Charlotte, the NXT women’s champion, to give Becky- still figuring out her entrance- Lynch a chance.

Still Charlotte didn’t believe the hype, still gave Becky everything she had regardless of what the crowd or commentary had to say about it. There’s wasn’t a discount of character, of strength, just two girls fighting for something they loved.

But in admiration, in respect, there was also hatred, a seething misunderstanding of “why had Charlotte been thrust into the spotlight so readily? What did she have that I didn’t? Other than a famous father?”

Because Becky had been doing this for far longer, had traveled the world wrestling while Charlotte was still playing college volleyball.

But Becky wasn’t ready to be beaten by someone she thought she had pegged. Didn’t give everything she could, too caught up in the spite of opportunity.

And again, it was jealousy, too caught up in what she didn’t have that she couldn’t be happy for the women’s division as a whole, couldn’t wait for her own spotlight without feeling fucked up about it. 

\---

Back to

April 22, 2015

So she wouldn’t let Charlotte count her out of the race, would pull the same thrust of glorious intention, no matter what it took, no matter who she had to take advantage of.

She let Charlotte have her moment of glory, let her think that she had this win in the bag, the figure 8 locked in on Bayley, just waiting for Bayley to give in, to give up, to tap to the pain in her legs that Becky had instigated throughout the match.

But Becky couldn’t let her have it, had to rip away the respect she held for them to find her own glory. 

So she pushes her tired limbs across the mat, just close enough to throw an arm over Bayley’s shoulders for the cover while she’s still tangled in Charlotte’s submission.

It’s a surprise to all of them, Charlotte sitting up offended and surprised when she hears the bell ring. Becky stays down for the moment, not sure that it had even worked.

“Stolen”. A stolen opportunity, they would call it, but Becky was just taking back what was hers.

But maybe they’ve cemented that Becky is a loser too hard into her skull, because winning feels wrong.

Or maybe it’s the realization that loving people one at a time isn’t the easiest feat to pull off surrounded by a hugger more earnest than most, a queen too regal for her own good.

Maybe its better to lose to the people you love.


	5. Bayley and everyone

Nxt: Takeover Rival

February 11, 2015

Bayley always had something to prove, always someone that people took for granted, thought less of. But the pain had never hit her chest full force, she’d never let it sink into her skin enough to claim the light as darkness.

And even now she’d only let it push her. Sasha had always been mean. Charlotte had turned on her when times were tough. Becky surfed the same train of despair for the sake of her own career.

Bayley wouldn’t let it wear her down, would prove that smiles and hugs were just as respectable as physical strength, that loyalty and honor were just as effective as manipulation and cutting corners. 

But it didn’t stop her from admiring her opponents, she truly couldn’t help it.

Aside from the obvious accolades of natural beauty, each opponent had something Bayley couldn’t shake. Sasha’s speed, her dedication, the ease in breaking morals to get ahead. Becky’s resilience, her skill, the necessity in trying and trying until something stuck. Charlotte’s heart, her passion, the void in her heart she’d forever try to fill in making her brother proud.

So she watches in awe, still, as they each enter the ring one after another, like she’s still that 11 year old girl with a dream. Sasha, then Becky, then Charlotte.

Because it’s hard to forget that they’d trained together, hard to forget that an enemy was necessary to grow. Because each had given her the space to do just that: to find what worked and what didn’t, to be the best version of herself, to take her place in the race to the top.

If all of them hadn’t existed, none of them would be here right now, fighting for a title that they intended to make great. 

Bayley knew that, knew that regardless of her individual desire, there were 3 other women just as practiced, just as deserving, just as hungry for victory. She had to respect that.

And she’ll try to right it off as just respect.

Tries not to waste too much space in her brain on the curve of Charlotte’s smile, or the warmth of Sasha’s hands on her, the sincerity in Becky’s eyes.

An anger in her when she pulls Sasha off of Charlotte, stopping all the momentum, because as much as it hurts to not be loved back, it would be worse not to give them everything she has, it would be worse to let them win without putting up a good fight.

The crowd cheers her name in a way that makes her believe in herself, brings her home, reminds her that she more worthy, more deserving, and for a moment the belt is within reach.

Until Becky reminds her that the world is not nice to nice people.

Flashback

November 20, 2014

Bayley couldn’t really blame Becky for joining sides with Sasha. She herself could understand the allure, but sadly no one had wanted the naive hugger on their team, not since Charlotte had ceremoniously taken advantage in the middle of a match. 

But she couldn’t change that Becky strangely made her feel like a worthy opponent: no room for famous rapper cousins or legendary fathers, just wrestling for the rush of blood, for the sweat and the tears, like winning or losing was a challenge, and either ending would be worth it, to simply be in the ring.

And it’s usually the high regards, the plain adoration, the lost look that comes when Becky gets focused and Bayley becomes too concerned with the splay of pale eyelashes and freckles, that she gets the rug pulled out from under herself.

So of course, Becky wins. In a roll up that Bayley only half-remembers.

The bell rings in her ears as a reminder to do better next time, to fight as hard as she tries to quiet the red in her cheeks.

\--- 

But Bayley will keep fighting, keeps pushing until her positivity finds its peak among stars.

Laying on the ground outside the ring next to Sasha and Becky as Charlotte had just launched herself into them reminds her that they all come from the same level, the same chance, that the love that shoots through her veins can be a strength, can help to prove that admiration can be a means for understanding, can help just as much as it hurts.

It reminds her of the times of mutual respect: when Charlotte let her be innocent, let her be herself among the molds the world set for her.

Flashback

November 6, 2013

Charlotte was tanned, her hair still brown. A time that Bayley remembers so clearly. The look just as alluring as anything else Charlotte had mastered. She’d just helped Bayley fix the headband that Summer and Sasha had broken without a second thought, something glowing in the way Charlotte was just happy to see Bayley smiling again.

There was a protectiveness, a possessiveness that Bayley could never shake. The way she pushed Summer’s hand away from Bayley when she came close to touching her, pulling he \r back when Sasha came into her personal space. Bayley knew Charlotte loved her, even if it hurt, even if it came in the form of harsh walls of protection rather than warm hugs.

But what hurt the most was finding that eventually Charlotte was okay to turn her back, was okay with Bayley’s pain if she was the one causing it.

\--- 

But of course, fate doesn’t allow for her to find her prowess. Fate coming in the form of Sasha ripping her away mid-pin and throwing her outside of the ring.

And through it al, even in the desperate cruelty, Bayley could never discount the undeniable in ring chemistry.

Flashback

April 10, 2014

Bayley wasn’t a masochist. Even as a wrestler, she wasn’t crazy enough to like getting beat up. But she didn’t mind it when it came to Sasha. It was like their brains clicked, like Bayley knew Sasha’s thoughts enough to find the air without feeling the breath leaving her throat mid fall. She felt safe in the fray or sailing fists and unrelenting submissions.

Like they could fly around the ring in a harmony that played in Bayley’s dreams, a dance that only they knew the moves to.

A back and forth of getting the upper hand. And as much as Sasha makes it known that Sasha is the one to be beaten, that Bayley is the challenger: Bayley knows there is untainted synchronicity, that Sasha has to know their hearts are linked somehow in the way they push out the same rhythm, the same pace of exchanging blows, and taking home wins.

Bayley wins because she can accept it, knows better than to push against the way they soar and drown against each other. And maybe Sasha can learn to embrace the practiced chaos of synched hearts, but for now Bayley will bask in knowing that keeping love close gets her places Sasha could never go.

\--- 

Bayley hits her head on the way down, something in the fierce desire, the lack of empathy in needing to win, for Sasha to hold back any power. And Becky follows soon behind her. They both take the moment to breathe, to find content in the throbbing of heads and forming bruises. And for a moment, everything clears. Because Bayley knows everything will be okay.

No matter who wins.

Because they’ll all keep on fighting. And Bayley will have 3 worthy adversaries to love, to conquer, to grow beside. And that’s all she can really ask for.

The bell rings.

She barely registers it.

Sasha’s music fills Full Sail as they announce her as the new champ.

Bayley’s heart feels full as the loss settles against her skin. It feels like a new beginning, a place for them to realize that the change to come can’t be brought about by one, that the charge is easier to run among four. 

Charlotte hugs Sasha. 

A space in Bayley’s heart mends at the hope. At the desire to be close, at the show of genuine care. 

It’s enough to keep loving.

She doesn’t think she’ll ever stop.

  
  



	6. The Four Horsewomen Part I

July of 2015

The last month of so had been  _ strange. _

The prospect of Becky, Charlotte, and Sasha moving up to the main roster made them sentimental: nostalgic for the taste of memories only formed at Full Sail. And what’s worse is leaving their poor innocent hugger by herself.

It’s not a readily available emotion to share, being that at the time Charlotte and Sasha only share cautious eye contact, Bayley and Becky communicate in solely strategy tactics, Sasha only talks down to Bayley, Charlotte looks at Becky with pity, Becky still looks longingly at Sasha, and Charlotte’s doing the same to Bayley.

But there is a concrete understanding among the weaving around each other that there is respect before anything, a translucent layer of admiration and gratitude for humble beginnings and worthy opponents. 

Bayley looks extra exhausted one hot day in July. And Sasha smiles at her instead of scowling, an attempt at reassurance that they need each other. 

And it sort of dominoes from there.

Because Bayley takes the offered smile and runs with it. Asks Sasha to spar with her, which turns into getting into the same training schedule.

Charlotte takes notice first, of the way Sasha isn’t acting superior and Bayley isn’t forcing sunshine, and strangely enough the assumed mode of jealousy doesn’t come. It’s not like the boss and hugger are suddenly best friends, just an expressed acceptance in needing a friend.

Not someone to watch your back in the ring, but someone to talk to, reflect off of, be human with. 

It starts with swapping exercises and Bayley re-filling Sasha’s water for her. And Charlotte watching and just hoping it grows.

“You’re staring” Becky comments absentmindedly to Charlotte as she puts her ring boots into her locker. 

And she’s right, she’d caught Charlotte staring at Sasha and Bayley on the other side of the room, Sasha laughing (a difficult task to accomplish by itself) at something dumb Bayley had said. 

The words break her out of her intense concentration, a feeling of being caught in the act, replaced with clear vulnerability.

“Sorry” Charlotte apologizes, the voice in her head begging for sincerity, “I just- I guess it's naive to think we can't all be friends” she continues as her eyes find Becky’s.

It’s a reminder that the group lies empty without all four.

_ The Four Horsewomen. _

A nickname only ever accepted in reference to the individual and their sole part in furthering the evolution as a whole, never seeing the stance of needing each other, of the team effort.

But Charlotte wanted to change that.

And it isn’t really hard.

Bayley accepts her apology about turning on her easily. Almost too easily. An exchange of words long overdue, so long that Charlotte had thought it had been too late. 

Soon enough its a group of 3, doing cardio together, talking strategy, learning from each other again.

Charlotte doesn’t feel like she’d third wheeling until she walks into the trainer’s room one night, thinking she’s the last one at the performance center, to find Sasha pressing Bayley into a wall, Bayley’s hands grabbing into pink hair.

The first instinct is to pull Sasha off of her.

But if anyone is going to have the people she loves: it might as well be each other.

“Hey” Bayley is breaking her out of her thoughts, moving her hands to scratch the back of Sasha’s head, just as Charlotte was about to run, pretend she didn’t see anything.

“C’mere” Sasha is saying in the soft voice she’s still getting used to, it feels like a promise.

And Charlotte is included into the embrace.

The best surprise Charlotte could ever receive.

Even as her heart swells, her lips finding the side of Bayley’s forehead, as Sasha wraps herself around her waist, there’s still a rush of something missing.

“I know you guys like had a thing” Charlotte comments a few days later, making Sasha a sandwich.

It’s jarring how quickly things have gone from enemies to domestic, but what's more is how safe Charlotte feels talking about their relationship, or in this case Sasha’s relationship with Becky.

“It wasn’t a thing” Sasha starts, getting used to communicating genuinely a steep learning curve, “we kissed and then-”

“And then?” Charlotte asks where Sasha trails off.

“Nothing. I was too scared to do anything, I only ever cared about the championship” There’s disappointment in the words, shame. Charlotte doesn’t let her dwell on it. 

“And now?” Charlotte questions, hoping that the wait is finally over.

“I just want all of us to be happy”

The hardest part is convincing Becky that they actually want her around; the current of her loner complex a hard routine to break. And sure, its a tall task to refrain from too long touches and reaching out for Becky in the same way, until they know its consensual, until Becky shows what she wants, but it doesn’t take long for her to fall in.

Something crashing together in the way barriers fall down, quickly replaced with budding gardens.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......UHHHH howd yall feel about that????


	7. The Four Horse Women, part II

August 22, 2015

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Perhaps Sasha should have given Bayley more credit from the start. Maybe if she hadn’t made a villain of herself, gave Bayley the respect she deserved from the beginning, punching her in the face wouldn’t be so hard right now.

Because at least then, the love might have been gradual, given her enough time to get used to leaving the hateful, disrespectful Sasha behind, in favor of the girl who likes Bayley’s arms hugging her more than she does flinging her onto the ground.

“I don’t know if I can do it, not to Bayley” Sasha had told Becky when they’d talked about some intense spots they had planned.

“It’s gonna be hard, but we have to, okay?” Becky holds the eye contact, knowing Sasha can read the unwritten love in her eyes, the fact that this is their life, the lights and cameras, whether they love each other or not, the crowd will be waiting for a fight.

So Sasha looks at Bayley like she’s a joke, trying to play into all the anger she used to hold, and even a short time ago, it’s still hard to remember how she could harbor so much hatred and jealousy for someone so caring and loyal. She laughs nonetheless, knowing she owes the crowd this, owes Bayley the story of her triumphant victory over the evil boss, even if she isn’t that girl anymore.

And everything feels right, in spite of the punches that come down in fast rhythmed shots against her head from one of the three women she lo-

In spite of everything, the crowd roars differently, a special pull on the ear drums, they’re ready, and so is Sasha. And Bayley to show why they matter. Because Sasha knows before everything, that the commonality in each of the four, the respect and love for their jobs is the fighting force that holds them together. Sasha’s heart beats steady, even as she’s thrown to the ground.

Because Bayley is fighting like never before, pushing against the rage in her heart to stop hurting the smallest partner in their four-woman stable, somehow the one with the most heart. So Bayley will fight back, prove herself worthy of the respect and love that comes with being around Sasha. The outpouring of coincidental perfection that swims easily between two pairs of hearts all beating in sync.

And Sasha takes the bumps graciously, giving Bayley the glory she deserves, just as Bayley has sat back to give Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky to grow and breathe, and come out the victor. 

The energy surges in but never out, as pulses run heavy with each back and forth.

“These two know each other at the same time”

Bayley can hear Corey Graves far off somewhere, the theme song of her life, the screams of joy and cries of the unknown, never indifference. She tries not to think of the new ways they’ve gotten to know each other over the last few weeks, the promise in red lipstick on her cheek, the look of blue eyes when they aren’t trying to turn away, the soft touch of orange hair and forbidden eyelashes.

And the touch still makes her skin crawl, a flock of goosebumps that give her hope more than they hurt even in dormant, with Sasha holding Bayley’s arms around her own throat.

And Charlotte and Becky watch patiently, feeling the emerging sway of the performance center, knowing the weight of it, before the world can really even notice. Standing close in the moments where it gets vicious: cruel words, kicks to the face, dropping harshly off the apron, pulling off a hand brace, targeting the injured hand.

They briefly wonder where the line is: if there’s a line between respecting her opponent enough to not hold back and taking it too far, or if Sasha knows that it exists. And there’s a moment of panic, where Becky wonders if this could really work, if they could pummel each other, all fighting for the same goal, and still love each other.

Or could a belt really change everything all over again, after they’ve found each other could everything go back?

To blindsiding?

And backstabbing?

And kicking them while they're down?

  
  


But Charlotte takes her hand, squeezes out the worry, presses courage into her palm. They hold their breath as Sasha flips over the top rope right onto Bayley’s shoulder.

But they see it, the way Sasha lingers on top of Bayley after the crash, their sweaty skin harshly rubbing, a breath of agony and reminding Bayley that she’s here in the moment with her.

“This is awesome!”

It’s hard to move forward in a space that makes her feel like she’s floating. But the show must go on among the ever expanding beauty of the chaos. Truth be told it’s hard to process right now, with the shuddering breaths and burning ears, the ache of muscles and hearts.

So Sasha stomps on Bayley’s hand, hoping the press of not knowing is almost over. But alas Bayley breaks the hold of her Bank Statement, applies a hold of her own.

What follows is a back and forth at trying for something big, a finish, a finale, the heightened arch to tell of a story's end. 

But Sasha kicks out. A moment where Bayley’s head hangs tight against Sasha’s shoulder, a check in.

And Bayley kicks out. Bayley keeping Sasha under her just a second too long.

They fly out of the corner, a flip and a half off the top rope, Charlotte and Becky unsure who will get the worse of the exchange: momentum pushing further than they thought, as Sasha is slammed into the middle of the canvas so hard, the force brings her back to her feet. Sets up Bayley to bring her back down to the ground. 

And Sasha usually blocks it out, the sound of the crowd singing, the hand slapping the canvas, the harsh wheezing breaths that flow from her to her opponent. But she can’t put up that wall right now, no pattern of trauma could drown out the pure emotion spouted from the universe in that moment. 

Three seconds and it’s all over. Something inside Sasha dies then. The part of her that thought she could run. Could think that she could ever look these three women in the eye ever again and lie about her love.

“Bayley is your new NXT women’s champion” 

So why does it feel to Sasha that she’s the one that won?

Years of back and forth, where winning a match felt like the highest peak of the mountain, Sasha soaks in the loss like it's an antidote. A place where Bayley, a symbol of love, can thrive.

A bolt of energy echoing between the audience and the new champion, a struggle in finding balance under the new weight of a belt. Reinforcements come in, in the form Charlotte and Becky, pressing bodies together to hide Bayley from prying eyes, a moment of secure privacy squished between two of her loves, to soak in the triumph. 

Holding her up, showcasing the beauty, the talent. Bayley needs to breathe, let the moment wash her over is high peaked waves, pulling her along, but never going over head, Charlotte knows from experience. 

So she steps back, holding Becky and Bayley together, looking for Sasha, hoping to complete the square, wondering where she’s rolled away after the bell rang.

And it’s another pang in Charlotte's heart, where fear gets the best of her, wonders if Sasha ran, if she’d decided that being at the top was worth more than the intense enamored passion they’d created with each other.

But she sees Sasha struggling to pull herself over the apron to meet them in the ring. She grabs her by the arm, pulling her up, holding back as hard as she can, from pulling Sasha close and kissing her forever as a thank you for coming back.

Because Sasha needs Bayley right now, to soak in what they’d down together, Charlotte grabs Becky’s hand, this time to pull herself together, as Second Nature and The Lass Kicker try to hold back tears.

It’s a hard fight, Charlotte knows, the sight of Bayley and Sasha so delicately ruined forces the tears out whether she wants the world to see her so vulnerable or not. 

But Becky can’t take the distance anymore, pulls Charlotte with her to cover Sasha and Bayley, hold together the unit before it can ever implode again.

She doesn’t want to jinx it, but Becky swears this is the moment everyone will always remember. It feels like the end of an era, but somehow a new beginning. A call for people to finally pay attention. The change finally feels sustainable.

It makes everything worth it. The injuries. The hard times on the street. Finding wrestling again. The forces of love that were once people just standing in her way. The bruises. The losing over and over. Because here she is winning again.

Sasha’s the first to throw up four fingers, a sign that she’s finally taking the title as theirs, no longer a symbol of her individual contributions to the evolution, but proof that it was a group effort, a team of challengers that didn’t back down for anything. 

The Four Horsewomen. 

Four enemies die.

Four heroes are born. 

There isn’t silence when they get back behind the curtain where no one can see them, where nothing is expected of them. And Bayley’s ears ache from the lack of quiet.

Because usually they’d all ignore each other on a pay-per-view, wait for their matches without paying each other any mind until the bell rang. But Becky is shouting about specific spots, making exploding noises in place of the hard crash of Bayley’s hand lodged between steel stairs. Sasha is still crying, holding onto Charlotte like she never wants her hand to be empty ever again. Bayley is smiling, a laugh that demands the air, as she takes in the women around her. Charlotte’s squeal of adrenaline. 

It’s much later, in a hotel room, free from harsh lights and buckling expectations, that Sasha holds on tightly around Bayley’s rib cage, Charlotte rubbing her back, holding Becky’s hand that Sasha burns with the words still stuck in her mouth.

“I love you. All of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey long time no see...  
Not really sure if I wrote this like half high or not,...so it might be straight clownery...but anyway  
We’re finally at Takeover so we’re almost at the end I thinkkkk


	8. Bayley takes us home

The hardest part for Bayley has been the separation. Because it feels like, just as soon as they’d found room in each other’s hearts, Sasha, Becky, and Charlotte had been taken away from her. 

It stung, the fact that her girls were being called up to the main roster and she wasn’t, more than that she was thrown by the sudden feeling of loneliness. And she felt guilty too, that she couldn’t be happy for them, that they were all competing at WrestleMania against each other even if it was without her, be content in waiting her turn.

She reminded herself of the steadiness she felt in Charlotte’s arms when she wasn’t busy showing Monday night raw what she was make of, remembered the beauty of Becky’s smile when she wasn’t cloaked in makeup and goggles, held close the press of Sasha’s skin when she wasn’t cutting a mouthy promo.

And it was enough, enough that they were living their dreams even if she was a step behind, because they’d call and text in every free moment, wish her luck before every match, keep her in the loop with everything progressing for them.

Charlotte always spoke the softest at night when Bayley was tired after a match, her voice coming through the phone just loud enough to reach Bayley’s ears.

“It’s gonna be alright, we’re all gonna be together really soon, just keep your head up champ” 

And Bayley would say “I know” even if it was still hard to swallow, because she wanted to believe Charlotte, and a part of her did, but another part was too consumed by not being in control of what’s to come.

Becky would do her best not to mention it, tried to make conversations about silly things Sasha and Charlotte did, tried to make Bayley feel like she was there with them, dedicated time on keeping Bayley knowing they were a four woman stable.

Sasha played her part in making it seem like the world revolved around Bayley, wanting to listen to Bayley instead of fill her with the things she was missing out on.

And they’d see each other every few months, but it wasn’t the same, always the rushed tendencies of wanting to stay with each other but having other responsibilities. Still it was enough to tide her over, enough to keep breathing amongst the hard times in her quiet apartment, too much of a reminder of what it was like before they’d all come together as a unit.

It was a mix of exactly what she needed, each woman coming in at the right time to shine their light on her, and it worked.

Kept the motivation pushing until Bayley knew that she’d given everything she could, left the rest in the hands of the universe, as scary as that could be.

“Be so good, they can’t ignore you” Sasha would say too often, but Bayley savored it every time, waited as patiently as she could for her time.

——

August 20, 2016

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II

Seeing them backstage at the performance center again sent the usual butterflies swirling in her stomach, this time a coating of something surreal in not only being able to hold them in her arms after months of separation, but something about the setting taking away any of the fear in her gut.

“No matter what happens, you always have us” Becky tries to reassure now and again, but the words are finally processing as Sasha pulls out of their hug to stroke the brunette’s cheek as Becky moves in to settle a kiss against her hairline.

Charlotte pulls them all together to complete the circle, her arms somehow long enough to keep them all close. 

There’s wishes of good luck and I love you’s for hours, and as much as it hurts knowing that she’ll probably disappoint them, Bayley swallows it down knowing she has them again even for just a moment.

Still they’ll be missing a piece to the puzzle again tomorrow, when flights have to be scheduled and jobs have to get done.

And it’s then that the realization hits that for the last year months or so, Sasha, Becky, and Charlotte have felt exactly like this: okay, but missing a key piece.

The gratitude washes over her sometime later as she pulls Becky closer as Charlotte makes a joke about something trivial, catches Sasha’s eyes that only grow soft for them over her shoulder.

She doesn’t ever want to let go, but the time comes when she’s being called to the curtain, reluctantly pulling away from too tight holds that she’d rather drown in then break free from.

“Be safe” Sasha holds on to her wrist for just a moment longer.

Charlotte holds her gaze long enough to tell her what she needs.

“We love you” Becky strokes the back of her neck to convince her, and then they’re gone.

But there isn’t emptiness in the dark as Bayley waits for her entrance music to hit, because she’s confident that for as long as there is separation, that they will always return to her, she knows it.

So instead of the nerves that usually come before a match, she breaths in the uncertainty and turns it into love, a need to make her women proud, to give them the best show she can in the house that they built together. 

——

The chants of her name come before her music even hits, her heart opening up to suck in as much love as possible. The pop, so overwhelming that she already feels like she can’t breathe and the match hasn’t even started. The smile that takes her over hurts her cheeks as if they too were not prepared. Even without the championship around her waist, there’s still that glow in her eyes, the unbiased passion that she is exactly where she needs to be on her path.

She reaches for her headband, a reminder of where they were a year ago, and the way the stable of four had never felt so concrete, the same design as Sasha’s gear from last years match.

Bayley knows the past year has hardened her, given her reason to believe in the harsh offerings of the world, and she lets herself soak in the sorrow for just a moment, really feel it before she can throw it away for good. She feels so much older and wiser, about the business, about love, about her dreams. And she’s ready for wherever this moment takes her.

The kicks don’t hurt as much somehow amongst the unhindering glory of this moment and she wonders how she ever took it for granted, because Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky are watching her do what she loves, perhaps the second best thing to doing it beside them, but she’ll take it. She’ll soak in everything that she possibly can even if that’s the harsh stab of Asuka’s foot into her face, or into her back, or the back of her head, or in her face again.

The swell of it feels all too significant, that what Sasha and Bayley started gets to continue a year later, the feeling that she could ride this wave forever. So she takes the push of gratitude and turns it into something vicious, finds the right openings to take Asuka’s vulnerabilities for granted.

And maybe she puts a little too much behind it, thinks winning this match is the only way to prove that she belongs at the top, and she’s not going to give that up, even if Asuka stands in her way. So she breaks out of the Asuka lock, the submission that had gotten her title ripped from her hands in the first place, twists herself up to perform the Bayley to Belly heard around the world. She hears the roar of astonishment, tries to hang onto it, pushes back the wave that says “this is it, you’ve got it” because she doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.

She goes in for the pin.

1

2

Asuka kicks out.

And the disappointment takes over, enough to be shown in the unparalleled anger of punching the mat with all her strength. Because for the moment it gets the better of her, the voices in her head telling her that she’s not enough, but she catches a glimpse of hot pink and vibrant orange and knows she can’t give up.

So after another failed attempt on Asuka's end to use her submission, Bayley goes for the cover once more, this time not getting her hopes up, and isn't as devastated when Asuka kicks out. 

But the kick to the back of the head sends Bayley’s brain reeling, a new thought that perhaps it doesn’t matter, maybe the world intends for her to lose and maybe everything will be alright anyway.

Maybe it’s okay to lay down the sword, just this once, to rest in the wake of what the last year has given her. 

But she tries one more time, just in case she’s wrong.

Takes the impact of Asuka’s kick in stride, gets to her feet as if the pain wasn’t surging through her features, slaps her opponent clean across the face, but her attempts play out in vain just as she had thought as the kick she took as nothing comes back to haunt her 

Twice more, and she can’t fight it any longer.

So when Asuka pins her, she lets the 3 count wash over them without an attempt at fighting back, because she knows it’s not what the universe wants, knows that she can’t fight the power of the energy around her, and whatever comes of it she’ll have to accept.

She gives Asuka her moment, hugging her for the sake of something physical to hold onto, because accepting defeat seemed so simple before it was actually reality, before it was what was happening right in front of her. 

So Bayley will try to catch her breath and remind herself of the love she’s learned to accept over the past year, try to eliminate thoughts that don’t consist of Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky as hard as it is to think of them without the implications of the way they are all so emotionally close but usually so physically far apart.

But she sits in the ring alone now, no one to hold her or dry her tears, and she knows then that she could live off this high for the rest of her life, even if she’d screwed herself and this was somehow her last fuck up, her last match ever, she knew she’d be okay having had this memory of a full Barclay’s center cheering for her, and not because she’d won this time, but because they loved her, maybe not the same way that the other three Horsewomen had, but they loved what she did for this company, the sweat and passion she’d given to entertain them, given them something to care about. Something to believe in.

She revels in it. 

She takes entirely too long soaking in the chants of her name, trying to lock these images into her psyche, trying to open her ears enough to hear every chime of failure and glory, trying to memorize the way Sasha and Becky and Charlotte are still looking at her like she is everything even in the face of defeat.

She knows she can’t be away from them any longer, so she picks up her discarded headband, puts it on where it belongs, and finds her place in the arms of Sasha and Becky, holding tight against the call of her brain that she isn’t enough. And she wants to stay there forever even if the world is watching, but she knows there is a missing piece.

She moves toward Charlotte wanting to real in as much love at once, trying not to cry at the way Charlotte smiles at her like a proud mother. 

She walks back up the ramp knowing it’s going to be okay, knowing that they have her heart forever, Sasha, Becky, and Charlotte, and everyone watching. Knowing that regardless of what’s to come she’s found her place in the world, in the ring, in her spot in completing a four person unit, in their arms.

It’s enough. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay hi hello ahhhh idk how to feel rn ...cuz like this is def not that popular of a doc and idk there’s probably only like 3 ppl still reading....but bitch u bet ur ass imma write for an audience of 3 anyway this still feels weird ending it, we’ve got all our girls moving up to the main roster and so if that’s where our tail ends... and the rest is history
> 
> I’m very aware that literally the next day after this takes place, Charlotte beats Sasha for the raw women’s championship..and then the next day after that Bayley makes her debut so it’s not that deep and sis shouldn’t be freaking out but also ....could u suspend ur disbelief for the drama of it all...
> 
> Okay anyway as we all know they all still are very in love on the main roster but they gotta hide behind their characters.....the end
> 
> Thx as always. Peace.

**Author's Note:**

> this is like the side hustle right now but ill still be updating Purple Hurts but Blue Stings Worse so dont worry!!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. comments and kudos are always appreciated
> 
> eyesfadefromgreentogray on tumblr


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